Yeti Short

Mimen grit his teeth and bent farther down as another icy gale billowed across his face. The night was unforgiving, and snow was quickly piling up around him. The tracks of his compatriots were quickly being filled, and he was still so far from his home. He clutched his thin jacket with his reddened hands. It had been hours since the flimsy garment had been soaked through and refrozen, now merely a hardened sheet of ice that weighed him down and nipped at his tender skin.

Mimen collapsed against a tree. The abrasive bark didn’t even register against the frozen nerve endings in his fingers. The tracks were gone. For hours, he had been following a ghost of his friend’s passing; a slight depression heading back towards base. But the sheets of unrelenting alabaster had consumed the last trace of their passing. They may as well have never been here in the first place.
He had to keep moving. To stop now would be death. With no food, no water, and no shelter, he would be dead within the hour if he stopped moving. The knee-high snow begrudgingly parted as he dragged his feet through the ivory mire.

“You don’t look so good, stranger.”

Mimen whipped around in a panic, falling back into the snow. Icy powder filled in around the last few unmolested patches of dry skin, robbing his body of the last of its precious warmth. There was no one there. Had he imagined it? Was it his tired, frozen brain hallucinating before his demise? Mimen fumbled for the knife on his belt. His fingers were too numb to grasp the handle.

“Easy there, I’m not here to hurt you.”

A monster strode through the veil of snow. She made it look effortless; parting the fallen snow as if it were morning fog. Mimen whimpered. She was huge! At least a head taller than him, with paws the size of dinner plates. Even as the wind howled around him, she showed no sign of discomfort as the ice and snow passed over her exposed midriff. A yeti!

“S-s-s-st-t-t-st!” Mimen couldn’t keep his teeth from chattering long enough to speak even a single word. His bluff faltered and ceased as he sat in the fetal position amidst the snow. Death and dismemberment were now preferable than waiting to expire in the frigid cold.

“You don’t look so good… Do you want some help? My house is nearby.” Said the yeti. Her eyes roamed over Mimen, taking in his cowering form.

Mimen didn’t respond. The yeti frowned and took another step towards him. Mimen floundered in the snow, too cold to do anything but thrash in the powdery hell he was trapped in.

“Come here. I won’t hurt you.” Said the yeti. She grabbed his arm.

Mimen yelped and swatted her away. “D-D-Don’t touch me!” he chattered.

The yeti was taken aback by his outburst. “Huh? Are you crazy? I’m trying to help you. You must realize that you’ll die if I don’t help you, right?”

“Don’t…Touch…” said Mimen.

The nonplussed yeti stared at him, unsure of how to proceed. “Fine. My house is this way, I’ll clear a path for you, but if I can’t touch you, you’ll have to walk.”

The beast began to kick snow out of the way with her wide feet. Mimen watched her go, clearing a trench in the snow behind her. He moaned. The pain was unbearable. Bent at the waist, he summoned the strength to rise from his frosty grave and follow her.

How far he walked like that, he would never know. The yeti continued to clear a path for him as she wound through the pines and skeletal aspen trees towards her home. She slowed her pace as she went, intent on making sure that Mimen did not get left behind. It was strange; Mimen could sense where she was by the heat she seemed to radiate. A faint beacon of heat that guided him onward through the driving snow. Wasn’t this how it ended? Apparently, humans felt a sense of warmth just before they expired in the cold. Was this really the end?

“There it is.”

Mimen picked up his pace. She was only a few feet ahead of him. Was there really a house there? He kept his face to the ground, too cold and afraid to judge the distance between him and salvation.

All at once, the wind abated. Mimen collapsed onto the cold dirt floor of the yeti’s house. She was telling the truth after all. How long he would remain alive remained to be seen; he was completely at her mercy. The other men in Mimen’s gang occasionally spun yarns about benevolent monsters like this. Strange creatures that would come out of the snow when things were bleakest to snatch men from the jaws of oblivion. Some kind and beautiful, others aloof and alien. Mimen had never paid them any mind. Now that he was living in a tall tale himself, he wished he had listened to those drunk ramblings.

“I’ll start a fire. Here, you can lay down on this.”

The yeti tried to help him onto a thin blanket. Mimen growled and swatted her hand away.

“Fine.” Huffed the yeti.

It only took her a minute to have a small fire crackling in the pit in the center of the hut. Smoke billowed up out a primitive chimney in the roof. Mimen scooted himself as close to the fire as he dared, trying to thaw his frostbitten digits in the modest blaze.

“Quite a storm out there.” Said the yeti.

She watched Mimen intently. He didn’t respond.

“You should probably take those clothes off. I’ll hang them up.” Said the yeti.

Mimen grunted and flailed at her as one of her wide paws reached for the collar of his coat.

“What’s the matter with you?! Do you WANT to die?!” said the yeti.

Mimen flinched. The yeti’s gaze softened.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to yell. I just want to help you. You need to take off your clothes. You won’t be warm again until you can dry off.” She coaxed.

Mimen peeled off the sheet of frozen fabric that covered his shoulders and tossed it aside. The yeti collected it and moved a rack next to the fire. Mimen shed his shirt and threw that onto the ground too. The yeti gasped.

“What happened to you?!”

Mimen ignored her and took off his boots and socks.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me, I asked you a question! You’re covered in bruises…” said the yeti. It sounded like she was about to cry…

Mimen looked down at his torso. A mottled patchwork of bruises and scars. She wouldn’t understand. Damn bitch should just eat him already or shut up. Freezing to death was looking more and more appealing…

“…Was it those other men?” asked the yeti.

Mimen’s head snapped up. “Did they come this way?”

“They passed the same way you did… Why weren’t you with them?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

The yeti put his shirt onto the rack next to the fire and waited for the man to continue. Mimen said nothing, content to stare into the embers and flex his fingers back and forth.

“What’s your name?” asked the yeti.

Mimen took off his boots and threw them at her feet. Taking off his socks, he slapped the wet, tattered fabric onto the fieldstones lining the firepit. He even had the courage to take his pants off, throwing them at her feet.

“…My name is Yutoge.” Said the yeti.

“…Do you have food?” asked Mimen curtly.

Yutoge sighed and walked over to a row of baskets. She pulled out a chunk of dried meat and offered it to Mimen. As Mimen reached for the morsel, she pulled it away. Mimen recoiled and shielded himself with his hands.

“Tell me your name first. And don’t jump like that! It makes me feel bad. I told you, I’m not going to hurt you.” Said Yutoge.

“Mimen! My name is… Mimen.”

Yutoge handed the man his food. Mimen quickly snatched it out of her paw before she could pull it back again and devoured the entire strip of jerky in seconds.

Yutoge frowned as she watched him eat. It didn’t look like the man was eating enough. No one this emaciated would last long in these mountains.

“Do you want more?” asked Yutoge. Mimen nodded.

Yutoge handed him a few more strips of jerky. It was cutting into her winter food supply, but with a man secured in her home, she wouldn’t have to worry about food for much longer. Such a waifish little thing… He would surely melt in her arms if he would only let her touch him…

“How about a drink?” asked Yutoge.

Mimen stretched and laid down next to the fire.

“…I’ll make you a cup just in case.”

Yutoge gathered a few herbs hanging from the ceiling, scraping them into two cups. Pulling some ice out of a small box that connected to the outside of the hut, Yutoge filled the cups.

“So… About those men you were travelling with…” said Yutoge as she slyly dropped a few demon realm plants into their cups out of Mimen’s sight. “They aren’t good people, are they?”

Mimen sat bolt upright. “They ARE good people, and they’re my FAMILY.” He snarled.

Yutoge almost dropped the cups. “I’m sorry, I just…”

She set the cups on a grate over the fire. How else could she say it? Those humans were rotten; she could sense it in them. That foul stench that told mamono which humans to love, and which to leave alone. She had seen that pack of humans from afar before. A gang of cutthroats that preyed on travelers navigating the treacherous mountain passes. They didn’t always kill, but they didn’t have any qualms with murder if it came to it. And any survivors were left at the mercy of the elements, stripped of everything but the clothes on their back. Many of Yutoge’s friends had met their spouses by saving stranded merchants. And some of Yutoge’s friends had even taken to monsterizing the surviving women.

The ice hissed and popped as it began to melt in the cups. Herbs floated to the surface of the slush. Yutoge stared at Mimen from the other side of the fire. This man felt different. He put up a tough front, but his spirit seemed… meek. A small man with an even smaller spirit. Yutoge grimaced as she read through the litany of injuries across his body. She had a bad feeling she knew where they came from.

“So, those people were your family? What are they doing all the way out here?” asked Yutoge.

Mimen sneered at her. “We’re bandits. We take what we want, whenever we want. And if anyone gets in our way, we kill them.”

Yutoge clenched her paws. This little bastard… He didn’t have the nerve to kill anyone. “If they kill people, then they aren’t good people.” Said Yutoge.

“We look after each other! Outsiders, the chumps who try to get through without paying our tax, they don’t count. They’d leave us for dead if they could, so we do the same to them. All that matters is that we look after each other.”

“I see, you only kill people who defy you. So… Have you killed anyone?”

Mimen’s cold façade cracked as his eyes widened. “Of course! I’ve killed a dozen men, all by myself. I’m the strongest the gang has.”
Yutoge watched him squirm. The poor bastard probably couldn’t lift anything heavier than a butter knife.

“Oh? And did the gang just raid someone?” asked Yutoge.

Mimen chuckled. “Sure did. Another caravan of fools thinking they could just roll through our mountain pass without paying our ‘toll.’ We stripped those idiots for everything they had.”

“And you were all traveling back home.”

“Base.”

“What?”

“It’s a base. We don’t live in bark huts like you. We’re rich and powerful, so we get to live in a big, fancy fortress.” Said Mimen.

Yutoge glared at him. Mimen gulped and averted his gaze, suddenly very interested in the crackling fire in front of him. Yutoge got up to fetch more wood. Mimen watched her fearfully, curling up tighter on her floor. He only relaxed when she tossed a fresh log on the fire.

“A base, huh? You must have a lot of money stashed there.” Said Yutoge, doing her best to sound disinterested.

“Hah! The boss says we have enough money to buy a whole kingdom.” Said Mimen.

“But not enough to buy new clothes…” mused Yutoge.

Mimen scowled at her. “We have the money, but we can’t just go to market and buy stuff. We’re bandits! There’s a price on our heads.”

“I see. And this recent haul, you said you stripped the guy of everything he had, but that must not have been much.” Said Yutoge.
Mimen glared at her. “It was a ton! A whole bunch! Enough food and supplies to last for a month! Boss said it would keep us going until spring.”

“But you weren’t carrying anything. Why would the strongest member of the gang not be carrying anything if there was loot to be taken back to base?” asked Yutoge.

Mimen beamed. “Because they let me behind.”

Yutoge blinked. “Huh?”

Mimen chuckled. “I told you, I’m the strongest guy in the gang. The boss needed all the space in the wagons for the goods, so they entrusted ME to walk back to base.”

Yutoge’s mouth gaped slightly as she bore witness to the most spectacular mental gymnastics ever witnessed.

“The gang left their strongest member behind so that he could WALK back to base through a blizzard?”

“Exactly. They know how tough I am. So they knew I could take it. Boss knew that if he left anyone else behind to make room, that they’d die for sure. If they left me, I’d make it back, so there wasn’t any downside.” Explained Mimen.

“But you almost died! They left you without proper clothing, without food or water, and without any means to find you way back!”

“All that shit may stop a normal guy, but not me! I’m different! The Boss knows it, the guys know it, and I know it! I would have made it back to base just fine without your help! I only stopped in here because I wanted your food.” snapped Mimen.

“The guys… They wouldn’t be the ones giving you those bruises, would they?”

Mimen smiled and puffed his chest out. “Sure are. They like to throw a few punches my way every now and then, ‘cause they know I can take it. No other guy in the gang can take this much punishment, no sir! I only eat half as much food too, because even starvation can’t stop me."

Yutoge swallowed hard and looked away. So that’s how it was… The tea bubbled, roiling over the edge and dribbling into the fire below. She grabbed a cup with her monstrous, insulated paws and offered it to Mimen. He flinched and covered himself.

“I’m just handing it to you!” said Yutoge.

“I know! I was just… stretching, fuck!” shouted Mimen. He gingerly took the cup from Yutoge and looked at its contents.

“What’s the matter? Have you never had tea before?” asked Yutoge.

“…What’s in it?” he asked softly.

“Just herbs and a few pieces of fruit.” Said Yutoge.

Mimen eyed her warily. He blew into the cup a few times and took a sip. His eyes shot open, and he quickly downed another mouthful.

“Is it good?” asked Yutoge, suppressing a snicker.

Mimen swallowed the tea and coughed. “Uhh… It’s alright. Not as good as the stuff I’m used to. You know, the real high-end stuff that the merchants bring. Or the stuff that we buy.”

“I thought you said your gang didn’t buy things?”

“Ah, well, we do! Just, not often. You know, ‘cause-“

“You’re wanted?” said Yutoge, finishing his sentence.

Mimen scowled at her. “Yes. We do buy a few things occasionally, but not much. Boss says he’s saving the money for something big.”

“I see.”

Yutoge sat down next to Mimen with her cup. He flinched and began to skitter away.

“What are you doing? Come sit next to me.” Scolded Yutoge.

“Why the hell are you trying to sit next to me, huh? Trying to kill me? Eat me? Skin me alive and cook me over this fire? If you come any closer, I’ll stab you!” said Mimen.

“Your knife is next to me.” Said Yutoge, gesturing to the sheath hanging from his pants next to her.

Mimen floundered for a bit, and wordlessly slunk back to Yutoge’s side.

“There you go. Feeling warmer?” she asked.

“…Yes.”

“Good! I’m so glad that you’re feeling better. It’s nice to take time to relax once and a while, isn’t it?”

“I guess…” mumbled Mimen.

Yutoge took a sip of tea. She watched as Mimen began to squirm. The demon realm berries were beginning to take hold. His cute, mousey face was beginning to flush with arousal. Time for her to make her move on this battered, timid soul.

Slowly, Yutoge shifted her weight towards Mimen. The man took no notice of her, opting to guzzle down another mouthful of tea. Yutoge moved her shoulders his way, intent to rest against him. Once he had a good feel of her fur, he would be alllll hers. No man could resist a yeti cuddle.

The second her skin made contact with his, Mimen jumped as if he had been zapped by a raiju. Tea exploded from his mouth as he frantically swatted Yutoge away.

“I said stay back!” shouted Mimen, throwing his empty cup at her.

The cup went wide and clattered off the bark wall onto the floor with a thud.

“Fuck! What don’t you understand?! I don’t like it when… Fuck!”

Mimen stood up and made for the wooden slab that acted as Yutoge’s door. He shifted it to the side, and slammed it back shut as the night wind shot into the hut. Yutoge watched him stiffen, now forced to confront the awkward situation he had created. He sat back down at the fire across from Yutoge.

“Don’t touch me, or I’ll kill you.” He said softly.

Yutoge sipped her drink. The sibilant sound of snow billowing against her hut was the only sound other than the comforting crackle of the fire.

“…Are you going to stay here tonight?”

“Yes.”

Yutoge set her empty cup down. Looks like she didn’t add enough melty love to break Mimen’s cold exterior. Mimen watched her as she rolled out her sleeping mat for the night.

“I’m sorry, I only have this one bedroll. We can share it if you…”

Yutoge’s sentence trailed off as she caught Mimen’s scowl.

“…You can have the bedroll. I’ll uh… I’ll find some furs to sleep on.” Said Yutoge.

Mimen grunted and flopped down onto the sleeping bag. In a matter of minutes, he was snoring softly. Yutoge sighed. What was she going to do with this man? Was it really worth it to keep him here? He didn’t FEEL evil, but he sure made himself out to be. She crept over to Mimen, careful not to wake him. His face was contorted into a grimace, twitching as he slept. Yutoge gently traced one of the many scars lining his body. So many wounds on such a young man. Burns, scrapes, bruises, welts… It was a wonder that he had survived this long.

Mimen squirmed under her caress, rolling to the other side. She gently stroked his cheek with the back of her hand, savoring the small coo it elicited from him. His brow creased and relaxed as his body became accustomed to the sensation.

“Goodnight, Mimen.”

~~~~~~~~

Yutoge watched Mimen stir as she cooked breakfast. He gasped and sat up, apparently unaware of his whereabouts. Seeing Yutoge, he calmed down and slumped back down onto the bedroll.

“Did you sleep well?” asked Yutoge.

“As well as I could. You’re lucky I can sleep anywhere; this lumpy thing is nothing like the mattress that I usually sleep on.”

“Mmm…”

Yutoge plated some of the hash she had made and set the plate on the ground. Mimen hesitantly took the food and prodded through it with his utensil. Satisfied with whatever he found, he scarfed the entire meal down in less than a minute.

“Don’t choke.” Teased Yutoge.

Mimen scowled at her with stuffed cheeks and set the bowl down on the edge of the fire pit. “Whatever. I’m going back to base. Don’t try to stop me.”

“I was actually going to help you back. If you’d like, that is. I’m sure you could make it on your own, but I do appreciate the company.” Said Yutoge.

Mimen narrowed his eyes, trying to discern her motives. “If you’re thinking about eating me, you’d better find some easier prey. I’ve taken down monsters bigger than you with just my knife.”

Yutoge held her tongue, deciding not to point out that she was still closer to his knife than he was, and that she could have easily killed him in his sleep if she wanted him dead.

Mimen put his coat on and opened the bark door to Yutoge’s hut. He recoiled at the feeling of the frosty air on his skin, but quickly regained his composure. Sneaking a glance at Yutoge to judge her reaction, his head snapped forward when he saw that she had witnessed the whole thing.

“Oh, and if you’re coming with me, you’d better not slow me down.” Said Mimen.

He began to plod through the snow, now up to his thighs. Yutoge watched him slog away, slowly meandering through the trees. She finished her hash and began packing a small satchel of food for the trip. It was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~

“There it is.” Panted Mimen.

Yutoge tried to look impressed. She had been in this area before, but her mamono instincts kept her from ever getting too close to this ‘base’ before now. Some base it was… A ramshackle stone fortress from some bygone era patched up with timber. One part of the outer wall had completely collapsed, allowing anyone capable of climbing the pile of rubble unimpeded access to the fortress. A crude banner depicting a stack of coins and some bones flapped weakly above the highest point.

“It’s… Big…” offered Yutoge.

Mimen smirked. “I told you. I thought I would develop claustrophobia in that tiny hut of yours.

Yutoge hummed. It was hard to focus here. She could see some of the humans shifting around in the fortress below. Just seeing them made her blood boil. They’d better not give Mimen any trouble. Or her for that matter.

“Speechless huh? I don’t blame you. Probably worn out from the trip.” Said Mimen.

That was perhaps his most damnable lie yet. She had walked ahead of him, once again clearing the way while he ambled along after her. They had spent as much time taking breaks as they had walking.

“Well, goodbye. I’ll put in a good word with you for the boss. Might save your life if they catch you one day.” Said Mimen.

He quickly left Yutoge behind, stumbling down the hill towards his companions. Yutoge watched as he faceplanted into the snow, recovering only to fall again a few steps later. Not even a minute out from under her wing, and he was already looking like a powdered pastry.

She had a bad feeling about all this. Humans could be such cruel creatures. And despite all Mimen’s boasting and threats, he never made any motion to make good on any ill words. Yutoge got the impression that he was less of a predator, and more cornered prey; lashing out at anything that came to close. She had seen the way his eyes lit up. Those scant few moments of happiness when he saw the fire spark to life and when she served him breakfast… Most humans were good people, even if it was deep down. And others…

“Guys! Boss! I’m back!” shouted Mimen.

Oh Eros, no. Yutoge sank into the snow, half crouching half tunneling towards the wall. Popping up near the fort, she pressed herself against a wall just out of sight and listened.

“The fuck? Who the hell is that?” shouted a gruff voice from on top of the wall.

“It’s me! Mimen!” shouted Mimen, jumping up and down in the snow.

“No way… I’ll be damned! OI! FELLAS! CRYMEN'S BACK!”

More voices joined the first on the wall, chattering and talking amongst themselves as they looked down at the small figure below.
“Mimen! I didn’t expect you to be back so soon!” boomed a voice. It must be the ‘Boss.’ When he spoke, the others shut up fast.

“Boss! I’m back!” said Mimen.

“So you are! Tell me, how exactly did a runt like you find your way all the way back here in the middle of a blizzard?” asked the boss.

“Easily.” Said Mimen.

The men on the wall roared with laughter.

“Easily, he says! I suppose you only slept because you felt like it then?”

More laughter. Mimen shifted uncomfortably.

“Uhh… Ha ha… Yeah… So, I’ll just come in then.” Said Mimen.

“Hmm… I don’t know…” said the boss.

Mimen’s smile faded. “W-what?”

“I think you might be too tough for us, Mimen. To be honest, some of us thought it was impossible for anyone to survive out there. But here you are! Such a big, strong, man like yourself, why, he might just try to replace me!”

The gang hooted and hollered. Mimen shifted in the snow, growing colder by the minute as the snow melted on his clothes.

“I-I’d never do that, boss!” cried Mimen.

“Oh, alright. I believe you, Mimen. You always were an honest man. Come on in!”

The wooden doors creaked open, and Yutoge watched Mimen dashed inside. There was a roar of approval from the gang, and some heavy sounding thumps.

“Bring him up here! There we go! The hero returns!” bellowed the boss. There was another staccato of sharp thuds, no doubt the boss ‘welcoming’ Mimen back.

“T-thanks boss…” whimpered Mimen. Yutoge heard that he was on the verge of tears.

“Aww… Look how happy he is fellas! ‘Ol Crymen is moved to tears by his welcome!” jeered the boss. “Don’t look so down, Crymen. Say, how about I give you your food for the day?”

“I-I’m not that hungry…” stammered Mimen.

There was a lull in the noise. A chill ran down Yutoge’s spine.

“Not hungry eh? I see… Well, how about we give you your CUT of the loot?” Yutoge could hear the indignation in his voice. How incensed he was that his toy had denied him even once.

“M-my cut? But usually…” whimpered Mimen.

“Do you want it, or not?” asked the boss. It wasn’t a question; it was a threat.

“Y-yes boss!”

“You heard the man, lads! Let’s give this hero his cut!”

The men erupted in cheer. A resounding whack rang out and Mimen screamed in pain. Yutoge dashed for the door, only to turn back as Mimen’s voice plummeted into the ground behind her. The men had tossed him from the wall into the snow below. Yutoge muffled a scream. He was still alive.

“THERE’S your cut, Mimen! Cut from our ranks! We don’t have any use for a rat like yourself!” shouted the boss.

Mimen moaned and thrashed in the snow. “Boss…? Why…?!”

“Because you’re WORTHLESS! You’re scrawny. You’re dumb. You contribute NOTHING to us beyond entertainment. You KNEW the only reason we kept you around was for fun. All the beatings, the starvation, the jokes… all at your expense. We ALL saw you for what you were: a leech! I’d commend you for being so tenacious, for hanging in so long, but I know it’s because you’re too fucking stupid to figure out how to walk out the door!”

Yutoge dashed from the wall and snatched Mimen up in her arms. He yelped as she clenched his wrist. She felt something warm seep into her fur. Her palms were dyed pink with snow and blood.

“OI! MONSTER! TAKE HER DOWN!” shouted the boss.

Arrows sunk into the snow around Yutoge as she fled into the trees. One shot flew true and embedded itself into her back. She screamed. Mimen tumbled to the ground as she collapsed. Clenching her teeth, she picked the crumpled man back up and continued into the trees out of range of the archers. No matter how fast those men were, they could never hope to catch a yeti in a snowy forest.

~~~~~~~~

Yutoge dumped Mimen onto the floor and collapsed onto her stomach, clutching her shoulder. Bellowing in rage and pain, she fumbled for the arrow sticking out of her.

“Why… Why did you take me away?” moaned Mimen.

“Because they wanted you dead, you dolt! You were going to starve in the wilderness! Or be shot!” said Yutoge.

Mimen stood up. Yutoge was surprised he could still stand. The snow wasn’t that deep around the fort, but Mimen had taken a five-meter fall like a champ. He gasped when he saw the arrow sticking out of her.

“You’re…! They… they shot you?” whispered Mimen.

“Yes, they shot me! Fuck!” cursed Yutoge.

“Don’t move so much! Do you have any medical supplies?” asked Mimen.

“In that basket. Use any cloth as a rag if you need it.” Hissed Yutoge. She wasn’t in any position to question Mimen’s medical know-how. Laying on the ground, she moaned as Mimen began to poke and prod at the wound. He found a small knife and quickly heated it in the fire.

“This will hurt.”

Mimen waved the knife through the air until it was cool and began to gently cut around the arrow sticking out of Yutoge. She gasped and yowled through gritted teeth. Mimen gave her a small slab of wood, and she bit down hard as he continued his work. After a few minutes, Mimen slid the arrow out and held a cloth against her back.

“Do you have any alcohol?” he asked.

“No. Use some of the herbs!” panted Yutoge.

“Which ones?! The guys always used liquor to disinfect wounds!” said Mimen.

“The ones with the pink variegation on the outside!” shouted Yutoge.

Mimen quickly ground up the leaves in a nearby bowl with some water and applied the mixture to Yutoge’s back. The yeti inhaled sharply as the salve stung her tender skin. Sitting upright, Yutoge tried to find a comfortable position to sit in while her back healed. Mimen sat down across the empty firepit, drawing his knees to his chin.

“Why did you do that?” he asked softly.

“Do what?” asked Yutoge, too focused on the agony in her back to realize what he meant.

“You risked your life to carry me away from them. Why?”

“You would have died if you had tried to stay with them.” Growled Yutoge. Did he want to go back to them in spite of everything that had transpired?

“So?”

Yutoge looked at Mimen. He was on the verge of tears.

“Why WOULDN’T you leave me to die? They’re right: I AM worthless…”

Mimen buried his head in his lap and began to cry.

“I can’t do ANYTHING. I hate it! I hate being so weak. I hate how they treat me. I hate being beaten, bullied and starved. I hate being called Crymen. And I hate how I’m too cowardly and weak to do anything about it!”

Yutoge bit her lip. Poor soul. The only shred of dignity he had, he left in that fort when they kicked him out. Even if he was a lacky, he still had purpose when he was with them. However warped it was…

“You aren’t worthless.” Said Yutoge.

“I am! What do you even want with me?! I can’t fight, I’m not smart… The only reason they kept me around was because I got so good at patching them up…”

“See? You aren’t worthless. Healing is a very valuable-“

“And the only reason I got so good at that was because they beat me so often!”

A fresh bout of tears rolled down Mimen’s face as he collapsed sideways onto the dirt floor. Yutoge watched, aghast, as the meltdown years in the making unfolded on the floor of her hut. What was she supposed to say? Mimen was inconsolable. Maybe it was time for something more than words.

Standing up, Yutoge rolled her arm in its socket. A few angles were painful, but she had a good range of motion. Sauntering over to Mimen, she squatted next to him. If he was aware of her presence, he didn’t acknowledge it. She slowly reached out and brushed his forearm with her paw. The reaction was instantaneous. Mimen recoiled, wailing even louder.

“Don’t touch me!”

“I’m not going to hurt you!” pleaded Yutoge.

“I-I don’t want to be beaten anymore!” said Mimen.

“I’m not beating you! I… I just wanted to give you a hug…” said Yutoge. It was much more embarrassing to say out loud…

“I don’t want a hug.” Sniffed Mimen.

“Then… can I at least hold your hand?” asked Yutoge.

Mimen sat for a moment, quietly crying. After some thought, he offered a shaking hand up toward Yutoge. She met him halfway with her paw, chasing after his quaking digits when he blenched at her touch. Ensnared in her fluffy grasp, the tremors slowly abated as he became accustomed to the curious warmth emanating from her paw. Yutoge gently squeezed his hand. It was so small! She feared that if she held it any tighter that it would shatter.

They sat like that for a few minutes, him softly sobbing and her holding his hand, gently running her thumb up and down the back of his hand. Eventually Mimen sat up and wiped away some of the tears from his swollen eyes.

“I’m sorry I’m such a burden…” he sniffed.

“Having you here isn’t a burden. It gets lonely out here. I’m happier now that I have someone to talk to than I have been in a long time.” Said Yutoge.

Mimen looked at her with a tired expression. It was the first time he had ever cast eyes on her without it looking like he was trying to discern some sort of sinister ulterior motive. He didn’t look hateful or proud anymore. Just weary.

“I know this might be too much to ask, but… could I stay here for a while?”

Yutoge’s heart leapt. She managed to contain her elation to a warm smile.

“Of course.”

Mimen squirmed a little. “…I hate to ask this, but can I try… can I get a hug? If you’re still offering. If not, that’s fine.”

Yutoge released his hand and opened her arms. “Come here.”

Mimen’s face flushed. He looked intently at a wall and scooted into her reach. Clearly a novice in the art of hugging, but Yutoge had enough natural talent to compensate. Mimen flinched once as she coiled her arms around him and took a deep breath. Yutoge giggled.

“You’re stiff as a board. Relax.”

“I am relaxed.” Said Mimen.

“No, you aren’t. Let go of your tension. Relax. You’re safe.”

Mimen’s shallow breathing deepened as Yutoge’s supernatural hug began to melt away his apprehension. His rigid neck wavered and fell against her shoulder. Yutoge tilted her own head onto his, savoring the sensation of his hair on her cheek.

“I don’t want to be alone.” Whispered Mimen.

“I won’t let you be alone.” Said Yutoge. She rocked him back and forth, gently rubbing his back as she held him.

“But I can’t stay here. There’s nothing I can give you. I’m tired of depending on others and never giving anything back.” mumbled Mimen.

Yutoge squeezed him tighter. “All I need from you is your company.”

Mimen’s idle hands fidgeted. Slowly, he stretched an arm around Yutoge’s waist. Twisting his body so that he was facing her, he added the other arm to properly reciprocate her hug.

“… I can do that.” he whispered.

Yutoge began to hum a tune her mother used to sing to her when she was a child. Mimen’s grip slackened, and his arms fell to her side as he fell asleep on her shoulder. Yutoge didn’t mind. The heat from his body and the budding love of her new husband were all that she needed.